The Raid
by ax1000xdays
Summary: ongoing fic // One mistake has cost Peter Pevensie dearly. The lives of everyone he loves, those he holds dear, are now at risk thanks to him: who will fall? Who will survive? And will he ever forgive himself for it? AU PC-Era fic.
1. The Mistake

**Author's Note: **Wow. What was meant to be a short little 'what if/alternate universe' drabble for myself has turned into a 20-something page long and still going strong fic. I was watching the movie awhile ago and thought 'what would have happened if such and such happened?' and then 'what would have happened if Luna was brought back by the horn along with the Pevensies, and she took part in the raid as well? What then?' So…I started it, and then friends encouraged it, and here it is. Enjoy? (As always, recommended to read this in the 1/2 width!)

**Copyrights:** Peter, Caspian, Edmund, and the rest belong to CS Lewis. Luna is mine. And I don't care if you don't like her. Yay. :3

* * *

"_No, I can still do this!"_

_The words echoed so very painfully in his mind, furthering the intensity of the pounding in his head. I. Me. Himself. He could sit there and spout off excuse after excuse: I was doing it for Narnia. I was doing it to reclaim our kingdom from the Telmarines. I was doing it to save lives. He could try to convince the others, try to convince himself…but deep down he knew the horrible truth. Every excuse had started with 'I'. He had been doing this for himself. For the glory: to reclaim the title and the power he had so unfairly lost years ago._

---

"Just who exactly are you doing this for, Peter?"

Three sets of disapproving eyes had landed on him as Susan dared to speak what they all were thinking, but just the same, four hands grabbed hold of the gate wheel, fighting to turn the heavy gear in full rotation. In the midst of this, between the turns, Peter noted that the missing set of hands at the wheel were the familiar pale, dainty ones of his faerie guardian: his best friend, confidant, lover…wife. Bewildered, he chanced a glance backwards – she was standing there, sword in hand, her piercing gaze focused on him. There was an unfamiliar look in her eyes, written across her face… he realized it was disappointment.

Ignoring this stabbing realization, he'd turned back to the task at hand. She didn't want to help? Fine. He could do it without her.

---

_But he couldn't, could he? The truth was…nothing important he'd ever done had he done on his own. Lucy had been right…he had not been the one to kill the White Witch – that had been Aslan. And so many decisions he'd made as High King in the Golden Era had been decisions made by all four of them -- sometimes the five, when he consulted Luna. And this stupid, stupid decision he'd made all on his own, against the advice of the others…look at what it had cost them._

---

She had turned her gaze away from him…it was so hard to look at him now; to see what Peter the Magnificent had become. He was a mere shell of what he used to be… and she couldn't bear to see what had become of her husband…the strong King of Narnia, who had fought minotaurs, witches, hags, and giants…who had been victorious in so many wars and had led Narnia into a peaceful prophesized era that they all had so deserved.

And now…

Her gaze flit to the dark skies as she sighed softly, shaking these thoughts away. Now was not the time to dwell on such personal matters, there were other more important things at hand and-- wait. _Dark skies_… alarm bells suddenly rang in her head as her sea green eyes snapped upwards, scanning turret to turret. There was no beacon of light shining from the towers, alerting their troops that the main gate was nearly opened.

Where was Edmund?

A few sentries had caught wind of what was occurring here, and Luna rushed forward to meet them as they charged forward, sword ready. "Peter!" she shouted over the hissing swoop of her blade, promptly ending the life of the Telmarine that had reached her first. "_Edmund_!"

Peter's gaze snapped away from the task at hand, having nearly lost his grip on the wheel at the sudden cry piercing the night. At first, he'd feared the worst, but looking back he saw that his faerie guardian was still alive and fighting, cutting down sentries that had caught them in the act. His brow furrowed at the sight, but he knew she could fend for herself, so what was she…

Her second exclamation explained everything, though. _Edmund. _Looking skywards, he saw that indeed, there was no sign of his brother and his torch anywhere. Fear gripped him immediately, but he swallowed it down, knowing he wouldn't be able to focus if he allowed terror and panic to get a hold of him now. Turning back to the wheel, he grunted back, "Find him!"

Over his bowed head, Susan and Caspian exchanged a look, but said nothing as Luna finished off the last of the unfortunate sentries, taking off across the courtyard towards the stairs. Their thoughts rang the same, as shown clearly in their eyes as they glanced at each other. 'If Edmund couldn't alert the troops…what was the point of risking their lives to open the gate?'

---

So perhaps using his torch to bash in the head of a Telmarine soldier hadn't been the BEST of ideas…but Edmund was working with what he could.

Very aware of how pressing time was in this matter, he fumbled with the end of his torch desperately, moving towards wall to peer down into the courtyard far below. He caught sight of the platinum haired figure running across the yard towards the stairs, and his brow furrowed immediately. That wasn't part of the plan, was it? What had gone wrong…? Looking towards the gatehouse, he realized that his brother, sister and Caspian were all there… so they were fine. What was Luna up to…?

He didn't so much care anymore as he was suddenly and rather unexpectedly blinded by a beam of light shooting skywards from the now obviously repaired torch. "Sweet Aslan!" he cursed, pointing the beam away from his eyes as he rubbed at them. Stars danced in his vision, but he ignored them, turning the beam out towards the woods as he flickered it on and off. "Come on, come on…" The gate was practically open, now. But the guards were catching wind of what was happening…

They didn't have much time now…


	2. The Fall

Things were falling apart so quickly, now. Or…had they even been together in the first place? One couldn't even be sure; even Peter was now beginning to see the flaws in his own plan. He watched in horror as Tyrus fell from Miraz's balcony, slamming into a slanted roof before falling the rest of the distance to the cobblestone below. An arrow protruded from his chest. The king attempted to swallow the lump forming in his throat. How many others had fallen? How many more of his friends were lying motionless on the cold cobblestone?

Edmund…Susan…Luna…they were all out there somewhere in this madness, and he couldn't even be sure if they were still _living_. He had led them right to this, right into danger…possibly right to their deaths, even. And while the plan might have worked had not Caspian gone awry, he knew there was no hope of succeeding in their goal now. They had to go.

But Miraz was one step ahead of him, and Peter could only watch in horror as the castle gate – their only route of escape – began to fall closed at the tyrant's command. A minotaur -- Asterius, Peter realized -- ran forward, hoisting the gate up onto his shoulders in an attempt to keep it from slamming to the ground, sealing their fates, but Peter knew their time was now limited.

"Fall back! _Retreat_!"

He sprang into action, sprinting down the stairs back into the courtyard, screaming at anyone and everyone he passed along the way. "Fall back! Get out of here!"

His blue eyes caught sight of Susan, and while he was relieved to see she was alright, he couldn't help but notice that she was alone. Hadn't Luna been with her previously…? His expression must have betrayed him, for Susan called to him, "She's with Edmund!" Temporary relief crossed his features at this, but he knew he wouldn't calm completely until he had his whole family safe and sound back at the How…and Miraz was dead.

Susan had worries of her own, and she voiced them over the fray, bringing Peter back from his thoughts. "Caspian!" She'd lost sight of him some time ago…

Catching sight of Glenstorm the centaur fighting his way through the masses nearby, Peter motioned him towards his sister before locking gazes with her, giving her a nod of consolation. "I'll find him!" he promised before turning away from her, slicing down a Telmarine who had been making his way towards him in an attempt to rid his people of the Narnian king. That was the last Susan saw of him for quite some time, as Glenstorm pulled her up onto his back and they made their escape under the creaking gate, her fingers stroking the fur of the gallant minotaur granting them their freedom as they galloped by.

---

The corridors of the dark Telmarine castle were such a maze; Luna hardly even knew where to begin her search. Everything looked the same here…dark and dismal. Each hallway was the same as the last…every room looked identical – lacking personalization, warmth, familiarity. She could be going in circles, for all she knew, and she would never find her way out – not until she ran into some Telmarine soldier who would surely end her search, that was.

But that couldn't happen…she had a job to do.

She knew Edmund had been up on the parapet she'd visited earlier when he had his run-in with the Telmarine archers, but she couldn't get to him that way – surely there were still soldiers lurking there, blocking him from escaping that way. No, she had to find some other way to that stairwell…

But there was no time to lose, she had to just…pick a direction and hope for the best.

The next turn bought her to a staircase. Thinking it might lead her to the tower Edmund had disappeared into she made her way forward, climbing the stairs as quickly as possible, knowing every second counted… every second that went by could draw the king that much closer to death… she had to hurry.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, she found herself facing a wooden door. Another staircase wound its way up behind her, but she ignored it for the time being as she reached for the door's handle, pulling it open and peering out cautiously. Stepping out into the evening air, Luna took a good look at her surroundings, trying to get a feel for where she was now. Below, she heard Peter's voice rise above the chaos. _Retreat_… he was calling for a retreat. Things were going wrong; well, of _course_ they were…but they were getting worse. She didn't dare move to the edge and look down, afraid of what she might see…

But she couldn't help it. Curiosity got the best of her, and she took several steps forward towards the railing, praying that things wouldn't be as bad as she feared…

Perhaps it was good she never made it to look down at the chaos occurring below, to see that they were moments away from the end. That soon enough, they would be trapped here within the walls of this hellish place, doomed to die in massacre. Instead of seeing the gate threatening to close on them, she whirled as the sound of heavy footsteps met her ears, pounding up the staircase she had just entered from.

Gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, she ran across the parapet to the opposite door on the far end, throwing herself against it. To her horror, it did not open. And suddenly, she realized the cold, hard truth: she was on the very same parapet she had been on earlier, the very same Edmund had disappeared from – and this was the very same door she had locked behind herself when fleeing the archers. Turning back, she heard the soldiers as they rushed up the stairs, searching for Edmund, no doubt…but they would come across the fae as a bonus.

She was trapped.

The distance from the parapet to the courtyard below was too great – if the fall didn't kill her, the injuries from the impact would. A lame soldier would be easy pickings in a battle such as this one…there wouldn't even be a chance…

She had been spotted, now, and the soldiers were splitting up; some were continuing on up another flight of stairs, after Edmund, she was now certain…the rest were coming out onto the parapets, swords ready…ready for her. Setting her jaw grimly, she fell into a defensive stance, waiting. If she was to go down, she would go down fighting… and she would take down as many as she could with her.

---

As Glenstorm came to a stop outside the castle gates, Susan turned her gaze back towards the wretched place, saying a silent prayer for her brothers, sister-in-law and friends who were still in harm's way there. She had seen Peter recently at least, but…Ed and Luna… where were they?

Spying a gryphon hovering nearby, she signaled for him, hair whipping at her face as it swooped down to land beside the centaur. "Yes, your majesty?" the creature intoned, bowing its feathered head.

Biting at her lip, Susan tore her gaze away from the castle looming overhear to look down at the fierce creature. "I wonder…if you wouldn't mind looking for King Edmund and Queen Luna." she murmured tonelessly, having lost all feeling in the previous battle. She was emotionally drained, and she knew it wasn't over -- it was going to get worse before it got better. But she just needed to know that her family was alright…that they would escape this before there was no hope left for them.

Sensing the worry radiating from the Gentle Queen, the gryphon nodded once before spreading it's wings, taking to the sky immediately to do as the young woman had requested. His sharp beady eyes looked over the courtyard carefully, seeking out the platinum hair, or any other telltale sign of the two Narnians he was searching for. It would be harder to find the Just King, but it didn't take long for him to spot the faerie…

It was like a hurricane had suddenly erupted upon the parapets as the great beast came in for landing, powerful wings beating to keep himself aloft as his clawed feet scrabbled for a hold on the brick rail. He managed to find his grip and balanced himself there, beady eyes flitting towards the hesitant soldiers as they regrouped at the far end of the rampart. They weren't sure whether it was safe to approach the great beast or not, having noticed his talons and sharp beak. But they would regather themselves soon enough…there was no time to waste.

"Your majesty!" he called urgently, fierce gaze never straying from the wavering soldiers.

Luna's gaze had snapped to the wonderful creature the moment she heard his approach, wind whipping in her face as he landed on the parapet railing. Blessed beast, she wasn't sure if he had seen her peril, or had been sent to find her; but she was wasting no time in learning the answer now. Trusting him to warn her of any sudden movement from the soldiers – and expecting them to snap out of her their state of shock the moment she made her move anyway, she turned and raced forward, jumping up onto the railing. Sure enough, the soldiers made their decision and dashed towards her, weapons ready.

They never reached her.

Releasing his hold on the rail, the gryphon dropped, and Luna wasted no time in jumping down onto his back, curling her fingers into the beast's feathery mane as he soared up over the parapet, leaving the stunned soldiers behind. Now the fae had a chance to look below, and she wished she hadn't as her stomach lurched – and not for fear of heights, either.

The gate had fallen.

Her voice caught in her throat as she stared in horror at those gathered at the gate, reaching out for assistance from those who had managed to escape certain death. She couldn't help but be slightly relieved by the fact that there was no familiar blonde head amongst those at the gate…no Susan, no Caspian either.

Edmund…

"_Where is Edmund_?!" she screeched over the horrible death cries of those below, looking down at the creature carrying her through the skies. He wasn't down there…she didn't see him… that was good. That…that meant that surely he had already escaped, that he was with the others… right? But how had he gotten down from the towers, then? Unless the guards had all come after her, there would have been no way for him to escape…

"The tower! Edmund's in the tower, we have to help him!" she yelled to the gryphon, pointing up towards the tower she had seen Edmund disappear into earlier. The creature obliged without question, swooping back towards the turret she had pointed out. The fae was grateful for the quick compliance, knowing there was little time to spare now that things were going _so_ wrong, _so_ quickly. She wouldn't leave him there…she flat-out refused to. Not only would she feel miserably guilty about it for the rest of her life, but should she return to the other Pevensies without their brother…well, surely they would never forgive her for that. It was time to be a guardian again – there was little use for a Queen here.

She had to find and rescue her charge.

---

Dead end.

Taking a step away from the door he had bolted shut using his now rather busted-up torch, Edmund felt the stone railing at his back, permitting him to go no further. Reaching a hand back to clutch at it, he slowly turned around, staring down to the courtyard far below. What he saw sickened him.

It was a massacre.

"Sweet Aslan…" he gasped, staring out over the carnage. It was horrible… bodies everywhere, those giving valiant last efforts to take down as many Telmarines as they could before they fell to the onslaught of weapons, of flying arrows…

But arrows were not the only things flying across the courtyard just then. He spied the gryphon, coming towards him, soaring up towards the towers – his only chance at escape, now. But so did an archer standing upon the parapets.

Everything was a blur, it happened so quickly: the crossbow aiming for the winged creature, the glint of it's rider's platinum hair, the realization that his guardian was in grave danger. His scream of warning, coming a second too late as the well-aimed shot was fired into the air. The shriek of agony coming from the great beast as the arrow pierced its chest. Luna's cry as they plummeted towards the ground.

The sound of the door busting open behind him.

And then nothing at all as something crashed against his skull, and the world went black.


	3. The Realization

The downtrodden Narnians dragged their feet towards camp, each mind left numb and reeling from the massacre they had just witnessed. Such death and destruction…and not the slightest trace of remorse on any Telmarine face as final blows were dealt out.

Peter had not said a word since their departure from the Telmarine castle, too focused on keeping his stomach to even consider speaking. Besides, he was too ashamed to say a word to anyone. He had led his own troops right to their deaths, right into a massacre. He'd been so focused on proving himself to them; he hadn't been able to see past his own foolish decisions at what the outcome might end up being. And now… well, he didn't even want to recall it. The looks on their faces as the gate dropped before them…

But if Caspian had just stuck to the plan, they might have all escaped with their lives.

They trudged up to the How, a heavy blanket of silence weighing down over them. Trumpets announced their return, but they were not triumphant bellows welcoming them home. To Peter's ears, they were the cries of anguish he had heard as he'd ridden away from the castle that evening.

Lucy had run out to meet them. She gave no joyous cry at their return – she saw it wouldn't be appropriate. "What happened…?" she choked out, staring at her brother as he approached. She'd never seen him look that way before…

"Ask _him_." was the cold answer he gave, snapping his dark gaze towards the prince keeping stride beside him.

The girl didn't care to listen to petty arguments and see accusatory pointing fingers. Instead, her gaze roamed those approaching, seeking any who might need the assistance of her cordial. There was Susan, looking tired and worn, but otherwise alive. Peter was there, obviously, and didn't seem too bad off either. But looking around, Lucy realized that there was no familiar raven-haired head in sight. Slowly, she turned to her brother, eyes widening as an unexplainable feeling welled within her. "Peter…where's Edmund?"

Tiredly, Peter closed his eyes, lifting a hand to his forehead to rub at it, as if the action would rub away all the stress he was feeling. "What do you mean, Lu, he's right…-"

He had opened his eyes just then, gaze falling to his sister, and the words died on his lips. The look on her face -- the one of absolute horror; of terror -- it was very discomforting. And slowly, he turned around, gazing at those gathered behind him. Edmund was not there.

And neither was Luna.

Terror struck him fast and hard, and his chest tightened as the panic overwhelmed him. Everything else: Caspian, Miraz, the war at hand; it was forgotten as his gaze frantically combed across the crowd once more, praying it had just been an oversight…that they were both there somewhere amongst their broken army…

…but they were nowhere to be seen.

His gaze found Susan's face at the edge of the crowd, and he noticed the look of panic that had overcome her fair features. Suddenly, he knew…she knew something. She knew what had become of the two. He approached her quickly, trying to swallow down the waves of nausea gripping at him as he confronted her. "Su…where are they?" They had to be lagging behind…or maybe they took a short cut…or…

"They…" Well, when had she seen them last? Edmund…she had never seen him after his run-in with those archers on the parapets. And Luna…oh Aslan, she had sent Luna after him. And neither had been seen since… Horrid realization dawned on her as a hand flew to her mouth, eyes widening in shock. "They're still there!" Her hand snapped out, clutching at Peter's until her knuckles turned white. "Peter, they're still in the castle!"

The words echoed miserably in Peter's head, giving him a dreadful headache. They didn't make sense; they just bounced about in his head, refusing to put themselves together into a coherent form for him to understand. There. Castle. They were…still there? Still in the castle… oh, oh Aslan. It suddenly clicked, just as Susan's fingernails pierced his palm. Blue eyes snapping open, he stared at her in a mix of dumbfounded shock and horror, grateful for the fact that he had not felt like eating anything that evening due to the nerves – else he would have lost it in the grass just then. "No…" The sound that tore from his lips was so quiet, so broken.

And then a strangled cry as he wrenched away from his sister's grasp and flung himself towards the nearest horse. But a strong hand gripped his shoulder, allowing him to go no further.

"You cannot go back there. You will not make it out alive."

Caspian pitied the king. He really did. To lose his brother and his wife, and half his followers all in one evening… it had to be a wretched feeling. But he knew that castle. He knew his uncle. There would be no sneaking back into that place and getting back out alive to tell of it. Surely security had been tightened after the raid; his uncle would not allow such a thing to happen again. And besides…he wasn't so sure that King Edmund and Queen Luna were even still alive…they hadn't been at the gate with the rest of those condemned to die, and his uncle had little use for royal prisoners. No, there was little hope for the two…

But Peter did not wish to believe this.

"LET ME GO." he snarled, wrenching away from the prince's grasp. He didn't make it far before Lucy threw herself at her brother, clutching him tightly as he broke down completely, falling to his knees. She was just as upset as he, tears streaming down her face, but she knew this was her time to be strong, for the sake of her brother. He needed a shoulder, and she would offer it, as he had so many times to her.

It wasn't fair…it really wasn't. To lose Luna again, after just gaining her back into their lives. And Edmund…there were no words to express the loss of a sibling. Lucy didn't know what to say to ease her brother's pain, when she wasn't even sure how to cope with her own. Instead, she kept to silence, as did the rest of them, as the High King continued to unravel before them.

She couldn't help but think, as she stroked her brother's blonde hair gently and cooed to him softly, that this night could not possibly have ended any worse than it had.

---

It was that consistent pounding in his head -- the miserable, painful throbbing -- that stirred Edmund from the dark recesses of unconsciousness. Tired, worn, and sore, he slowly forced his brown eyes open, waiting for them to focus correctly on his dreary surroundings. It was just as dark outside his eyelids as it was behind them, he discovered, and as his senses returned to him he realized his cheek was resting against a cold, hard surface…stone? Slowly, he flexed his fingers, grazing his palm against the cool surface. Yes, it was stone.

Slowly, he attempted to roll himself onto his back, testing his limits easily. He knew he had received some nasty whack to the head, but he wasn't sure what other damage had been done. He didn't even really recall what had happened, exactly. The events were like a jigsaw puzzle in his mind… the pieces so scattered… he remembered fighting – the raid. He remembered Peter's planned attack on the Telmarine castle. Who had won…? He didn't even recall…

Where were his siblings? Where was _he_? Try as he might, he simply could not put two and two together… the throbbing of his head would not permit such. Allowing a sigh to escape his lips, he slowly eased himself into a sitting position, resting his back against the wall. Well, no real pain had shot up at this action, other than the obvious at the back of his head…so as far as he could tell, there was no further damage to his body; something to be thankful for, at least. A hand rose to tenderly touch at the knot on his head, brushing against something metal hanging upon the wall. It clinked a reply, and the king's brow furrowed. That sound…he knew that sound…

…the sound of chains.

Suddenly, it became quite clear to him. He was in a dungeon: the Telmarine dungeon. He had been captured…_how_ in Aslan's name had he been captured? He racked his brain, trying to put those pieces together, trying to remember… he remembered running from those archers, to the tower… looking for a way out… looking down at the chaos in the courtyard… looking up to the skies…

…sweet Aslan.

He remembered the gryphon, shot from the sky by those same archers. His guardian had been on that gryphon's back. She was surely dead. The very thought made him ill. Such a massacre… his guardian – no, his sister-in-law, was dead. Had his siblings fallen to the same wretched fate? Was he the sole Pevensie survivor of this miserable battle? Had it all been for nothing?

Footsteps echoed painfully in his mind as someone – or was that two someones…? – approached the cell, and he snapped his gaze up towards the door as it swung open with a creak. Two dark shadows, Telmarine guards, stood there before him, casting gazes at him wearily before exchanging looks amongst themselves. Edmund sized them up carefully, but knew it was pointless to try and charge them – he had no weapon, and was outnumbered besides. But what were they up to…?

The question was answered soon enough, as he realized they were dragging something along between them. The dark shape was thrown to the stone floor inside the cell, the door swinging shut quickly behind them as the deed was done. Then, feeling safer now that the door was securely closed, they sneered at the boy king before heading off down the hall once more. Edmund ignored them, and instead moved forward cautiously to see who this poor unfortunate being – for he was sure it was indeed a person – was.

"Hey…" he managed, fighting to find his voice in the silence. The being did not move, so he gently reached out, giving their shoulder a gentle shake. There was no response. Had they thrown a dead body in with him? Brow furrowing, he carefully gripped the shoulder, turning the figure onto their back.

The telltale silver hair that fanned out over the stone floor caught his attention before anything else.

Fear gripped him as he fell into a state of instant panic, willing himself to calm as he gripped her wrist, feeling for a pulse. Luna. She'd fallen from the gryphon, hadn't she? She couldn't have survived that fall, but he didn't want to believe it; she couldn't be dead… But there was the gentle repetition of her pulse, reassuring him that she was still with him – for now, at least.

Biting his lower lip, he looked over her broken form: her shoulder appeared dislocated, and with each slow rise of her chest, he noticed a twinge in her face: pain – a broken rib, perhaps? The raspy, shallow breathing concerned him, and lifting her tunic just enough, he saw the bruising across her stomach that was already beginning to show on her pale skin. _Definitely_ a broken rib, maybe two. She wasn't in the best shape, for certain, but she was alive. By Aslan's will, and only that. Swallowing hard, he gently slapped at her face, unwilling to shake her any more than necessary now that he was aware of her condition. "Luna…come on. Wake up, you can't let this beat you…" He ignored the fact that she had already died once. That Aslan had been good enough to revive her. She had survived so many things in her lifetime. _This_ couldn't be the thing to defeat her. They couldn't lose her again. "C'mon…I'll never forgive you….and Peter, Luna!" Oh, when Peter found out…. "He can't lose you again, he'll go positively loony!"

"Stop yelling, I've got a bad enough headache without your screeching…"

Blinking, Edmund's eyes snapped opened, and he stared down in amazement as the fae stirred, surprised by how…weak her voice sounded as it reached his ears. But even still, even in such obvious pain, she could still be sarcastic with him.

Thank goodness for small comforts; he loved her for it.

"Luna…thank Aslan…" he murmured, pressing his cool hand against her cheek. "Way to scare a guy." He still didn't understand…how she'd survived the fall. But he supposed he didn't matter, did it? It was a miracle, simple as that. Would there be another, though, he wondered? Would they be rescued from this hell? Or had Luna survived only to die by the hands of the Telmarines?

"Sorry to inconvenience you." was her muttered reply as she finally forced her eyes opened, glancing up at him blearily. "Where…?"

"Welcome to the Telmarine Dungeon." he quipped grimly, waving a hand at their surroundings. "It's not all that cozy, but best get used to it…I have a feeling we might be here for awhile." Or for the rest of their lives, however short they might be, he was thinking to himself. But he didn't mention this to Luna. She was smart enough to be aware of this anyhow. Letting his focus fall back to her wounds, he frowned, watching her as she allowed her eyes to fall closed again wearily. Usually, she would be moving to get up again by now, never one to stay down for long. This was unnerving… "What hurts, Luna?"

A shallow laugh escaped her lips at this, though it cut off abruptly as she lost her breath, coughing instead. "The more appropriate question is, what doesn't?" she managed to respond after a moment, her lips curving up into a most pathetic smile. "Are _you_ alright…?"

He rolled his eyes, studying her dislocated shoulder. "Oh shut up. I'm fine, save the headache from this bump on the head, I think someone clocked me with something. But you… Luna, there's no polite way to say this, but you're a mess." He shook his head, black bangs falling into his brown eyes as he spoke, noting that instead of reprimanding him for his words, the fae merely snorted. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure how you survived it." Maybe she could shed some light on the situation…

"It was the gryphon, right…?" she started, wracking her brain for the memory. "He was carrying me…to find you." Her words came slower now, between labored breaths and hisses of discomfort through gritted teeth. Her pain was becoming more apparent, as her limbs woke, throbbing and sore. "Susan sent me…the gate was falling, she wanted you out…" What then…? "We were shot down? I just remember falling….the gryphon rolled, just before hitting the pavement. He landed first, took the impact…cushioned my fall with his body." Her eyes were closed tight, now, both from the pain and the relived memory.

Edmund gently gripped her uninjured shoulder, shaking his head. "He was protecting his queen," he murmured slowly. "And he will be remembered for it."

Luna was quiet, lost in what the young king assumed was a moment of respectful silence for the gryphon who had saved her life. He allowed her this much, before calmly speaking up again. "Luna…your shoulder. I need to set it, it's going to be harder and more painful to do the longer we wait…" And who knew how long it had been since the event as it was…he had no ideas how long he'd been out cold. And well, he doubted the Telmarines were going to offer up any medical supplies to make this easier for her.

Her gaze drifted towards her shoulder slowly, calmly, as if just noticing the issue he was speaking of. He didn't like how lethargic she seemed…he wasn't used to seeing her so subdued. He was just about to speak again, to encourage a response from her, when she beat him to it, finally speaking up. "Go ahead…"

Oh, how he didn't want to do this. But he had to, he _had_ to… if that shoulder wasn't relocated… But they had nothing to ease the pain, nothing at all to make this easier for her. "It's going to hurt, Luna…" It was stupid to say; surely she knew.

As expected, she scoffed at his warning, shaking her head slowly. "Of course it's going to hurt…but its got to be done…" she murmured. "Just do it, get it over with." Her eyes fell closed once more – she obviously had nothing else to say about the situation, and was simply preparing herself for what she knew was to come.

Maybe she was ready for this…but he wasn't. Taking a long, steadying breath, he gently took her arm, bending her elbow upwards, attempting to mentally prepare himself for the next step. He'd always heard it was best to do this slowly, but…wouldn't faster be better? The pain and suffering wouldn't be prolonged… if it were him, he want it to just be over with. And surely, Luna being Luna, would feel the same way. Urgh, he had to stop thinking about it and just DO it…before he lost his nerve. Alright, count to three…one, two…

His stomach lurched as she cried out; he froze in horror, disliking that _he_ had caused her such pain. But it had needed to be done… "Luna, I'm sorry…_I'm sorry_." He didn't dare touch her now, allowing her time to recover, if at all possible. He didn't want to be close enough to receive any backlash either, in the event that she decided to get back at him for that little stunt. "Are you okay…?" Stupid question, stupid stupid…he'd never heard her cry out like that before in his life. But what else was there to say in this situation?

She did not answer him -- perhaps she _couldn't_ -- and he honestly couldn't say he blamed her. But as he waited for some kind of sign from her; for her to come out of her state of shock, the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor met his ears, and he turned his gaze up towards the door as the guards reappeared there, peering into the cell suspiciously. He shot them a glare, just daring them to say something. They did not, and kept moving.

His gaze followed them until they were out of sight, making sure they were indeed gone before looking back to Luna, dark eyes sharp and vigilant. She was at least more alert now, her breathing slowing to a more regular pace as she regained herself. "The…others?" she inquired softly after a few moments more of silence.

"I think they got out…" Edmund said after a moment, glancing towards the door again. He hoped they had…they didn't seem to be here, else they might have responded to Luna's cry. But perhaps they were the only ones left… no. No, they had to hold to the hope that Peter and the others had survived. Perhaps it was too late for them, and he didn't expect to be saved; though he knew his bloody noble brother would want to raid the castle again in an attempt to get them out. Hopefully Caspian had a good head on his shoulder and would disallow this…but they needed to restore Narnia to its former glory, no matter what happened to them here…

Luna at least seemed satisfied with this answer, and fell to silence again. Edmund too went quiet, lost in thought as he wondered what the Telmarines had in store for them. Whatever it was…it surely wouldn't be good.


End file.
